Durham, N.C. — Duke University's DELTA “Smart” House officially began construction April 21, 2005, after a special groundbreaking ceremony at the site on the central campus. Designed by award-winning architect Frank Harmon, FAIA, of Raleigh, the Duke Engineering Living Technology (DELTA) Smart House, part of the Pratt School of Engineering, will double as a residence and as a testing ground for 11 of Duke's engineering students, who will monitor the mechanical and electrical systems within the house and conduct their own experiments to develop further innovations in environmental building technologies.

According to Harmon, this “living laboratory” will offer students a unique opportunity for hands-on engineering experience outside of the classroom. The house will also demonstrate to the community the potential for living in a smart house that is both energy efficient and a harmonious inhabitant of its environment.

The site chosen for the DELTA house in Duke's central campus greatly determined the form of the building, Harmon explained. It responds to the grid of the neighborhood while still maintaining a southern orientation for ideal solar experimentation. The house is based on a simple form that is flexible and easily changeable, he added, so that students can implement various experiments over time for monitoring the life of the house.

The plan is comprised of open spaces on both floors ideal for public activities including lab stations throughout. These spaces are flanked by the private areas of the house, which surround a functional core containing bathrooms and parts of the kitchen.

The house should be completed by the end next spring for the first students to move in by the fall of 2006. Drawings can be seen by going to www.frankharmon.com and clicking on “current projects.”